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. t ' . i-U.L.Y, .. J I L r , •,_ L •'.•••, Ti.AT .' ' !..; Th1. l i J V . f RELEASED OH 2 JULY WAS MRS blOCti, ivt,u h AD F»et.t< AOMlVitu Tu " U L - \ G O GENERAL HOSPITAL. THE B R I T I S H ACTING HIGH CO?"-! ISSIOMER IN KAMPALA WAS IMMEDIATELY INSTRUCTED TO ASSIST MRS BLCCH IN LEAVING "UGANI: ,. A MEMBER OF THE HIGH COMMISSION STAFF VLSLT MRS BLCCH OH THE EVENING OF 4 JULY IN THE HOSPITAL: IN OTHER WORDS, LONG AFTER THE ISRAELI AIRCRAFT HAD LEFT ENTEBBE AIRPORT. I T I S SIMPLY HOT TRUE TO ASSERT, AS THE UGANDAN FOREIGN MINISTER D I D BEFORE T H I S COUNCIL OFI FRIDAY, THAT MRS BLOCK HAD LEFT HOSPITAL CFI THE EVENING CF 3 JULY AND HAD BEEN RETURNED TO ENTEBBE AIRPORT SO AS NOT TO JEOPARDISE THE L I V E S OF THE OTHER HOSTAGES. THERE I S MO DOUBT THAT SHE VMS S T I L L THERE AFTER THE ISRAELI ACTION. T H I S I S ALSO CONFIRMED BY THE FACT THAT SHE WAS ALSO SEEM IN HOSPITAL BY A MEMBER OF THF. FRENCH EMBASSY. MR GOVERNMENT I S ENTIRELY SATISFIED THAT THE UGANDANS HAD CUSTODY OF MRS BLOCK AT THE TIME OF THE ISRAELI RAID AMD THEREAFTER. ON 9 JULY, OUR HIGH COMMISSIONER IN UGANDA WAS ABLE TO SEE PRESIDENT AM I N . HE TOLD THE PRESIDENT THAT MY GOVERNMENT FOUND I T IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCEPT THE UGANDAN GOVERNMENT'S STATEMENTS, THAT THERE WAS GREAT CONCERN IH BRITAIN ABOUT HER FATE, AND THAT HE HOPED AN IMMEDIATE ENQUIRY WOULD BE CONDUCTED INTO HER DISAPPEARANCE. HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT'S POSITION I S FULLY SET OUT IN A STATEMENT HADE TODAY IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS BY THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH O F F I C E . I WOULD LLKE TO QUOTE DIRECTLY FROM I T . QUOTE ON THE 7TH OF JULY I TOLD THE HOUSE THAT WE WERE SENDING OUR HIGH COMMISSIONER BACK TO KAMPALA TO DISCUSS MRS ELCCH'S DISAPPEARANCE URGENTLY AND FULLY WITH THE UGANDAN GOVERNMENT. MR HENNESSY SAW PRESIDENT AM IN OH THE 9 T H OF J U L Y . ON THE 10TH OF JULY THE UGANDAN GOVERNMENT SENT MR HEIINESSY A NOTE WHICH CONTINUED TO DENY KNOWLEDGE OF THE WHEREABOUTS OF MRS BLCCH *JD REPEATED THAT ISRAEL SHOULDERED THE RESPOI! 3 I B I L I T Y FOR HER AS FOR ALL OTHER HOSTAGES. AS WE SAID AT THE T I M E , , T H I S IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE If! THAT MRS BLCCH WAS SEEfi BY A MEMBER CF THE HIGH '• COMMISSION STAFF IN HOSPITAL WELL AFTER THE ISRAEL OPERATION AT . ENTEBBE AIRPORT WAS OVER. V/E ARE JUST NOT S A T I S F I E D WITH THE RESULTS OF AMY ENQUIRIES THE UGANDANS HAY HAVE MADE. OUR HIGH COMMISSIONER H i KAMPALA ARRIVED HOME T H I S MCRN I N G . I HAVE HAD A REPORT PERSONALLY FROM H I M . AS A RESULT I DEEPLY REGRET TO HAVE TO IMFORM THE HOUSE THAT THERE SEEMS L I T T L E DOUBT THAT MRS DLOCH WAS TAKEN "FROM HER ROOM IN MULAGO HOSPITAL AT ABOUT 9 . 3 3 P . M . , ( L O C A L T I M E ) ON THE 4TH OF J U L Y A'.D THAT SHE IS NO LONGER ALl V£« WE EXTEND CUR DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO ALL HER F A M I L Y . IN WHATEVER CIRCUMSTANCES MR3 BLOCK'S DEATH TOOK PLACE, THE UGANDAN GOVERNMENT MUST BPlNG THOSE RESPONSIBLE TO J U S T I C E UNQUOTE FROM WHAT I HAVE ALREADY SAID I T W I L L BF CLEAR THAT I CANNOT TELL THE COUNCIL WITH «!:Y CERTAINTY VHAT PRECISELY HAPPENED TO MRS BLOCH. THE STRONG P R O B A B I L I T I E S ARE THAT SHE I S DEAD. THERE IS ONLY ONE